The Bowflex Diaries

New stuff coming in `06

2005-12-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are new to this blog or found it through a web search while looking for more information about the Bowflex, I hope this site will answer some of the questions you have. I urge you to browse through my archives as I have written about my progress through the "six week guarantee" that Bowflex brags about in their commercials. I talk about everything from the diet I followed to the exercises, even talked about some of the difficulties. Stayed tuned as I will be starting a new more advance program shortly after the new year.

Rants and Raves

2005-05-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

Nike Belt,

To this point, I have not voiced any complaints about the Bowflex Sport. Not that I have many, but I do want to write about a couple of minor issues. First, my bench has started to rock from side to side, no matter how much I tighten the roller underneath. When I tighten it up, it seems to only stay tight for a workout or two, then it's loose again. I can't find any other way to keep this from happening. My only other complaint is that there are no instructions on how to use the squat station on the Bowflex Sport. Not in the owners manual, or online. They supply a pair of straps that extend the squat bar high enough to actually do a squat, I just had to use trial and error to figure it out. I wasn't even sure those straps were to be used on the squat station, I just tried it one day. So I only have two minor complaints so far, not bad really.

Now for the raves. The first accessory I purchased was a lifting belt. I decided on this one made by Nike. It's a great belt, comfortable, breathable and has excellent support. I really like the back of the belt because it is so wide and it feels like I can keep my lower back very still while working out. It is also less cumbersome than leather belts. I think I paid $30.00 bucks for it and would highly recommend it.

Update

2005-05-11T11:03:00.000-05:00

Everything is still going great with the Bowflex. I have changed my routine this week to a 2 days on 1 day off, instead of the 3 non-consecutive day per week routine I have been doing since I got the Bowflex. I started a new routine because I want to include more exercises per body part. I will do legs and shoulders one day and chest, back and arms the next. My leg exercises consist of: Extensions, Curls, Presses, Squats & Calf raises. I am also doing some hip and glute work with the ankle straps. For shoulders, I do: Military presses then front, side and rear raises. I still do one set of each exercise while maintaining perfect form and doing them very slowly.

When I got my Bowflex, my waist was 39 inches, this past weekend, I bought a pair of 34 inch shorts. That felt great. All of my current pants, mostly 36-38 inches, are all too big. I plan on waiting another couple of weeks before going on a shopping spree for some new duds.

Still at it.

2005-04-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the week long hiatus from posting but I'm still here pluggin away. Things are going just fine with the Bowflex. I have not been following my eating plan as strictly as I have in the past, but I haven't been pigging out either.

Took a fishing trip this past weekend and had a great time.

If you have never hooked up with a steelhead in a fast moving river, your missing out. It's a total blast. Yeah so what, I'm wearing a disguise. I got tired of all the other fishermen yelling out "Hey, it's the Bowflex Diaries guy!" Just kidding.

Rough Week

2005-04-12T11:32:00.000-05:00

There are three birthdays in my family this week including mine so my caloric intake is already shot. I can stick to my usual breakfast but the birthday lunches and dinners will be not so good. Oh well, by the weekend all will be back to normal.

Still hitting the Bowflex hard. I have noticed an increase in strength, which I am guessing is a result of using Creatine. I doubt I will see any increases in size since it would take a couple of pounds of muscle to actually see a difference. I have felt stronger in my past couple of workouts and seem to have more stamina.

Here is my current workout which is the "Abdominal Focus" routine outlined in "The Bowflex Body" book by Dr. Darden, along with a could of add-on exercises that I really like.

Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Leg Presses
Calf Raises
Lying Shoulder Pullovers
Bench Press
Lat Pulldowns
Seated Rows
Lying Bicep Curls
Shoulder Presses
French Presses
Rotator Cuff Exercises
Side Rotations
Ab Crunches
Oblique Crunches

I do one set of each exercise, I do the exercises slow and with as much control as possible, while using a weight that limits me to 8-10 reps. It take me about 30 minutes for the entire routine.

The Next Step

2005-04-06T15:39:00.000-05:00

I misspoke in my previous posts about the programs in "The Bowflex Body Plan" book. Turns out that when I reread the book, the two week chest and arms routines are very advanced and should only be done by people who have worked out with the Bowflex for 6 months or so. I would like to think that I could do those programs with out any problems and feel like I probably could but I don't want to do anything that would inhibit my progress at this point. Besides, it gives me something to look forward to. It also turns out that the Abdominal Focus program is a six week deal very similar to the Fast Fat Loss Now program I just finished last week. So on Monday night I started the new abdominal program. I will outline the eating an workout plan over the next couple of posts.

I have also decided to give Creatine a try. Dr. Darden endorses Creatine use and has a good formula for it in his book. Basically you dissolve 20 grams of Creatine powder and 1/2 cup sugar in one gallon of water and drink that for four days in a row to "load up" and then 5 grams a day after that for a couple of weeks. I am interested to see what if any effects there are. Creatine has been talked about a lot and from what I have read, I think it's pretty safe, i will keep this blog informed about the results of the supplement.

Also, I have regrettable decided to NOT post any before and after photos at this point. I have them and have looked at them very closely but I really see very little difference in these photos. It sure does not show a 19 pound difference between them, or at least not what I would have thought. I have had plenty of people tell me that they can tell I have lost weight and that feels REALLY good. But the photos I have are not as encouraging. Believe me, I am a whiz at Photoshop and put both photos on top of each other and played around with the opacity so you could see both at the same time and the differences are very minor. Sorry but they will have to wait, maybe after the next 6 weeks.

The results are in.

2005-04-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

Start of week one = 200
Start of week two = 195
Start of week three = 191
Start of week four = 188
Start of week five = 186
Start of week six = 183
End of program = 181

A total loss of 19 pounds and two inches from my waist. I am pretty happy with the results and look forward to the next step.

I now plan on creating my own 6 week program revolving around the 3 two-week plans outlined in "The Bowflex Body Plan." Tonight I will start with the "Thicker Chest" program following that up with the "Accent on Arms" then finishing with "Abdominal Focus." There is no eating plan with these programs so I am planning on using the first two weeks from the "Fast Fat Loss Now" program I just finished.

I will post the routines tomorrow and am still working on the before and after pics from the first 6 weeks.

All In!

2005-03-31T15:53:00.000-05:00

Skipped working out last night for a last minute poker game. First chance I have gotten to play since I got back from Vegas. Got short-stacked pretty quick and played tight for a while. Picked my spot and went all in twice in three hands and doubled-up both times, sweet! Took down a few more pots and the chip lead changed hands between three of us for an hour or so. Heads up I had the chip lead and called my friends all-in. I had Q-7 and was a big dog to his A-7. Flop came x - Q - x, YEAH! His ace did not improve so I took it all, YES!

I will work out tonight and Saturday for the last two workouts of the 6 week program. I plan on hitting it real hard and making the transition into the next phase Monday.

I will be posting before and after photos early next week.

Weekly Weigh-In

2005-03-29T08:22:00.000-05:00

Six more days left on the program. I am happy with the results so far. I have lost 17 pounds and have noticed increased muscle definition in my legs and arms. I am contemplating what I will do starting next week. Right now, I am thinking about starting a two week program that focuses on the arms, followed by a two week program for the chest, than another two week program that targets the abdominals. I will still be doing an entire body workout, it's just these programs contain a different set of exercises with emphasis on specific parts. That would be another 6 weeks, ending the second week of May. All of the programs I am talking about are outlined in "The Bowflex Body Plan" by Ellington Darden. If you have a Bowflex, you should get this book. I will be posting the workouts and the continuing results here.

Start of week one = 200
Start of week two = 195
Start of week three = 191
Start of week four = 188
Start of week five = 186
Start of week six = 183

My Current Routine

2005-03-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

Thought I would post the routine I am doing right now for those who are interested. This is the week 5 & 6 routine from the "Fast Fat Loss Now" program.

You do one set of 8-12 reps for the following:

Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Leg Press
Calf Raises
Lying Shoulder Pullovers
Seated Rows
Bench Press
Bicep Curls
Ab Crunches

This program takes about 20 minutes to complete, 3 times a week. Keep in mind that each rep takes 8 seconds, 4 seconds on the positive movement and 4 seconds on the negative. Slow and controlled is the key. It is also important to use a weight that will allow you to do no more than 12 reps. I try to max out at 10 reps for each exercise.

I have also added a shoulder rotator cuff exercise to hopefully elimate any golf related injuries this season.

One more thing, I do seated rows for about 5 minutes as a warm up and some light stretching afterwards.

Monday Morning Weigh-In Week 5

2005-03-21T08:45:00.000-05:00

Today marks the beginning of week 5. Time to tighten the screws. I now have to cut my calories by 100 a day. That just means changing my afternoon and late-night snack to 50 calories instead of 100. I plan on doing that by eating a small container of applesauce, which is exactly 50 calories or half a container of yogurt. I also have to increase my water intake again. It's gonna be hard work trying to drink 192 ounces of water a day. Between taking sips of water and running to the bathroom, I'll stay pretty busy.

Honestly, I do not do as well with my water intake during the weekends. At work, I can usually get all my water in everyday, but come Monday, I can tell that I have not had enough water. I feel so much better through the week after a day or two of superhydration, which is what Dr. Darden calls it. I urge everyone to give it a try.

Start of week one = 200
Start of week two = 195
Start of week three = 191
Start of week four = 188
Start of week five = 186

Simple Eating Plan

2005-03-18T10:48:00.000-05:00

I want to talk a little bit about the eating plan that goes along with the 6 week Bowflex plan. It's a descending calorie plan based on 60% carbs, 20% protein and 20% fat. Certainly different that today's popular "diets." Here is what I eat every day. 1 toasted bagel that has about 210 calories with a thin layer of light cream cheese and 8 ounces of orange juice to wash down my multi-vitamin. I have no problem eating this same thing everyday now for 3 and a half weeks.

For lunch I have a sandwich that has 2 ounces of turkey, slice of fat free cheese, some mustard, and lettuce OR some soup that has around 220 calories and a slice of whole wheat bread. As long as I have 300 calories for breakfast and another 300 for lunch, I'm golden. I have mentioned all of the water I am drinking on several previous posts. The water is very important, plus it keeps you feeling full. Sometime around 3:00 I have a snack. I alternate between yogurt, bananas and dried apricots. The snack portion is where you reduce the calories over the course of the program. You start with a 150 calorie snack in the afternoon and a 150 calorie snack in the evening. You then reduce to 100 for weeks 3 and 4 then drop to 50 for weeks 5 & 6. For reference, the evening snacks are the same thing, plus occasionally I have some light popcorn. Also, a medium banana is around 100 calories.

For dinner, I have been alternating between two dinners that I really like. The first is a 3 oz. sirloin, (have your meat dept. cut a sirloin into 3 oz. sections and individually wrap them!) with 1/2 cup beets, 1/2 cup beans or peas, 2 slices of whole wheat bread. The idea here is to stay within the 500 calorie limit at dinner. The second dinner is my favorite because 1. it's very easy and fast to make, and 2. it's delicious! Take a can of light tuna, (I prefer the canned tuna filet) mix in a tablespoon of light mayo, 1/2 cup corn (yes, corn) and 2 tablespoons of pickle relish. The corn really is good in this dish, if you like regular tuna salad, you will love this dinner. Add 2 slices of whole wheat bread with promise spread to round out the calories. I have eaten this dinner for several days in a row without getting tired of it. The updated version of this dinner cuts the tuna in half and adds 1/2 cup kidney beans. I say add black beans and some fresh chopped cilantro to kick it up a notch. BAM!

This eating plan may seem extreme, but if you're ready for a change, like I was, it really is easy. It's coming up on the end of week 4 and I have lost 12 pounds so far, from 200 to 187. I would really like to get to 175, we will see.

Power Rod Pick Up Lines

2005-03-17T09:03:00.000-05:00

Hey baby, wanna come back to my place and check out my power rods?

You must really be tired because you've been making my power rod flex all night long.

Your bowflex or mine?

If I told you that your bowflex made your body beautiful, would you hold it against me?

Feel free to add your own. :-)

Weighed in at 188 this morning, so Vegas didn't cause me any real setbacks. Thats the first time I've been sub 190 in at least a decade. Yahoo!

Viva Las Vegas!

2005-03-15T14:53:00.000-05:00

OK, Im back from my weekend in the city of sin. I had a great time and got to play poker every day, which was a blast. Didn't make any money but didn't lose much either.

Weigh in on my return was 193 which was a gain of two. Not too bad since I had some great food. Just in case you're wondering, Vegas is NOT the place to go while on a diet! I also wouldn't suggest going there if your celibate, a recovering alcoholic, have a gambling problem or like to sleep.

There is a Starbucks like every 30 feet or so, and one great restaurant after another. Try the mexican place Isla's or the posh Buccaneer Bay, both at Treasure Island. The Mexican Cucumber at Isla's is a great drink. Absolut Citron with sugar and fresh cucumbers, very refreshing, but straight vodka will F you up, so beware! And pack a fat wallet when going to Buccaneer Bay. The food was most excellent and it's a treat having your waiter and his (assistant's) serve your every request, but you will pay for it. Expect to pay $200+ for two at dinner, especially if you drink.

I'll post a weight in a couple of days to see if Vegas caused any permanent damage to my program.

I'm off to Vegas

2005-03-10T12:43:00.000-05:00

I will miss my boxflex when I am gone this weekend. I know that sounds weird but it really is a great machine. I plan on working out at the hotel fitness center but it won't be the same. I will only miss one workout and should be back to working on my bowflex by Monday.

I weighed 190 pounds this morning, so I have lost 10 pounds so far. Hopefully the damage won't be too severe. See you on Monday.

Coming up on the halfway mark.

2005-03-09T12:55:00.000-05:00

This weekend will mark the halfway point of the six week program and I am facing my greatest challenge yet. Tomorrow I leave for Las Vegas for a weekend of fun. I plan on playing some poker on Friday and seeing the sites. I will be OK for breakfast and lunch since those are simple meals but in the evenings, I am plannig on having dinner out with my wife and some friends and the calories will certainly be abundant. I'll do my best, but I'm not going to go to Vegas and say I'm not going to eat anything scrumptious and fattening. i will say this, over the past 2 and a half weeks my appetite for food has definetely gotten smaller. I eat less and have no problems with hunger. I should be OK, I plan on staying away from anything fried and steering clear of desserts. I'm not a big dessert fan anyway so that shouldn't be a problem. I plan on weighing myself before I leave and when I get back so I can see the damage.

There's a Starbucks and Krispy Kreme right in my hotel...I will need strength.

Monday Morning Weigh-In

2005-03-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

Man am I pumped! The scales read 191 this morning. That's a total loss of 9 pounds over the first two weeks. And now the diet gets stricter. Starting today, I have to drink five thirty-two ounce bottles of ice water a day, and cut my calories by 100 a day. Last week I was supposed to up my consumption to 4 1/2 bottles but I forgot. I have drank 128 ounces a day for the first two weeks, my bad.

I am going to have to retract a statement I posted last week about my goal. I said that I did not think I could get to 170 pounds, but after seeing the 9 pounds come off, I still have a long way to go and dropping another 20 definitely seems realistic now. Like most people, I thought the extra weight I was carrying was in one or two "trouble spots, " but I was wrong. I must be loosing weight from all over and the results so far are motivation to stay the course.

Start of week one = 200
Start of week two = 195
Start of week three = 191

Heard Any Good Power Rod Jokes Lately?

2005-03-04T13:52:00.000-05:00

This morning was the first time that I noticed a physical difference in my body. I can start to tell that some of the weight is coming off of my stomach, particularly my upper abdomen. To be honest, I expected to see some small results a little quicker since this program is on the extreme side, but oh well. I think that the next couple of weeks will show more results.

I also turned up the intensity of my workout last night by adding some weight to all of my exercises. For those of you who are thinking about getting a bowflex and are worried that the 210 pounds of resistance not being enough, it is. Unless of course you can easily bench 250 and leg press 300. The 210 pounds is very deceptive since the resistance increases as the power rod flexes. When I was younger, I could bench 225 for 4-6 reps, and the 210 is by far more than I can do now. It has something to do with your arms acting independently from each other. Just like dumbbells are harder than a barbell, the bowflex is much harder than conventional weights. If your a beginner, 210 pounds of power rod resistance will be fine.

Dining Out

2005-03-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

Last night I went out to dinner with the family to Applebee's. For anyone who does not know, Applebee's has teamed up with Weight Watchers and has a menu for all those point counters out there. The good thing is that while I don't count points, I have to be very careful with calories. They have a great menu and I had a grilled chicken salad that was great and only had 290 calories and something like 6-8 grams of fat. It's very nice to know that I can go out and still not worry about blowing my diet. I'm not sure that my meal had the correct carb/protein/fat ratio of 60/20/20, but who cares!

Staying on Goal

2005-03-02T08:36:00.000-05:00

Feeling a little under the weather today. Picked up a cold from somewhere. It would be very easy for me to stray off of this plan right now because I feel lousy, but I'm not. The 5 pound loss was very motivating especially since my calories will decrease slightly over the next 5 weeks and the most significant results can come in the middle of the program. The possibility of a 30 pound loss is very exciting, although I'm not sure I can actually get all the way down to 170 pounds. Maybe I can, we will see. I can remember when I was 16-18 in high school, working out was my release. I hit it hard for 6 days a week and put on about 20 pounds of muscle in two years. Reaching 150 pounds was a big goal for me when I started. It seemed to take forever to get there. i weighed in everyday hoping the scale would get past that 150 mark. In hindsight, it probably took 6-9 months of weight training to get there, but the amazing thing was how fast the next 10 pounds came, then 20. When I went to college at 18, I was around 170 pounds. I stopped working out because of a lack of funds. My college [an art school] had no campus or athletic program, so no gym, and all other options were too expensive.

My specific goal is not a certain weight, my goal is to not vary off of this plan. I have the confidence that as long as I stay on goal, the results will come.

Damn That Food Network

2005-02-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

I figured out this weekend that there are two things I can't do for the next 5 weeks. One is go to the grocery store and the other is watch the Food Network. That delicious channel is a 24 hour a day nightmare to anyone trying to watch what they eat. I got sucked into watching some food competition yesterday, all of the finished dishes were beautifully presented and all looked very delicious, not one of which I could touch. Then that damned Paula had to come on and fry a pork chop right in front of me, bitch. If I could dine at the home of any one of the food channel's stars, it would definitely be Paula of Paula's Home Cooking. She sure knows her way around a deep fryer.

Oh yeah, I almost had a meltdown at the grocery yesterday. I freaked out somewhere between the cheese island and the cookie isle. I needed help out of the place.

Monday morning weigh-in: 195 pounds [5 pound loss so far]

Carbs Schmarbs

2005-02-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

Man, I love bread. Isn't it great with soup and salad? How about a great big hunk of garlic bread to go with your lasagna? Or maybe a toasted blueberry bagel with cream cheese?

If you're one of those low-carb people, you can't have any. I know, I know, there are low-carb versions of some bread products out there but come on. The only reason low card bread has half the carbs as regular bread is because it's half the size! They eliminate some of the sugar, but the pieces of low-carb bread I have seen are very small.

If you love your bread, you don't have to worry about eliminating it on the Bowflex plan. I have four slices of whole wheat bread and a bagel everyday! I also get to have things like bananas and yogurt, which are high in carbs.

The Bowflex plan consists of 60 percent carbs while dividing the remaining 40 percent evenly between protein and fat at 20 percent each.

I will be updating my weight loss every week. I thought it would be more exciting to step on the scales 5 weeks from now to see the difference, but a weekly update will give anyone who reads this blog an idea of the progress.

One more tidbit, drinking a gallon of ice water everyday makes you cold! I have been freezing all week. Summer would probably be a better time.

Day Four of Forty-Two

2005-02-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

Yeah I know it's early, but I am feeling great. Drinking 128 ounces of ice water a day and limiting myself to 1500 calories, this is not that hard. I am not hungry (despite my previous post) and working out really feels good. I was really looking forward to this program, that might have something to do with it. I tried this program back in 1997 and had a hard time. I was hungry all the time and eventually only made it to week 3 or 4.

My beginning weight was a nice even 200 pounds, I'm 5'10", so that weight almost makes me obese! Supposedly 30 pounds over your recommended weight makes you obese. I got news for the people who decided that, I will never get to 175, my "ideal" weight. I still have some muscle left from when I was younger.

I took pictures this morning, I know it's 4 days in, but I forgot to take the "before" pics. Theres nothing more flattering that locking your fingers over your head and snapping some photos "sans-shirt". Viewing those pics sure gave me a little pic-me-up this morning...or NOT.

H2O... Shaken, Not Stirred.

2005-02-23T10:38:00.000-05:00

Three days in to my six week adventure and I have consumed approximately 3300 calories and 2 and a half gallons of water. Lunch is only 10 minutes away and I can't wait for those 300 calories, I need them! Of course the 40 or so ounces of ice water I have had this morning has helped me feel full, but it can't totally replace food.

I am currently drinking a gallon of ice water everyday. Why ice water? Well according to Dr. Darden's program, the body uses a calories of energy to heat 40 degree water in your stomach to 98.6 degrees. So just drinking water today will burn 128 calories, cool huh? When I work out tonight on my Bowflex, I should burn several hundred more. The results, hopefully will be a sculptured frame rippled with rock-hard muscles...um well, I'd settle for dropping a few pounds.

Gotta go pee...

How long is six weeks?

2005-02-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

A month and a half, 42 days, 1008 hours, 60,480 minutes, 3,628,800 seconds.

Doesn't seem that long or does it? A month and a half seems pretty short these days. but 60,000 minutes sounds like an eternity.

I guess it depends on what you are doing for the period of time that determines how long that time frame seems. If you are being held hostage by an aggravated group of individuals determined to make your life Hell, I can imagine 6 weeks feeling like a lifetime. On the other hand, a 6 week long vacation in Hawaii would probably be over in a flash.

Yesterday, I started the six week program designed by Dr. Ellington Darden that comes with the bowflex. Or at least it came with my Power Pro in 1997. It did not come with my new Sport model, but I found it online. Anyway, it's a scientifically designed program based on a decending calorie diet and 20 minute a day, three times a week exercise program.

Will it be a tropical paradise or torture? Stayed tuned.

My Bowflex is here!

2005-02-22T08:12:00.000-05:00

Received my brand new Bowflex Sport this weekend. It took 7 weeks to the day before it was on my doorstep. I could have purchased one at a local sporting goods store and saved the hundred bucks in shipping, but I did not know that until two weeks after I placed my order. Oh well.

A little background about my adventures with bowflex. I purchased a power pro model in 1997 and used the machine for several years until I moved into an apartment and sold it to someone. Wish I had never done that, but I had no room for it. Regardless of the fact that the machine folds up, they still need some room. The rods flex out so putting it in a corner will not work and folded out they need 7-8 feet from the wall. My apartment could not handle that. So I was bowflex-less for a few years. I had been thinking about getting the newer model for the past year and the time was right, I own a house now so space is not an issue.

Now about the differences between 1997 and 2005. In 1997 my new bowflex arrived in 1 box. I unpacked it, installed the power rods and just a few other things and presto, I was working out. On Friday, it took me 3 hours to put together the new Sport model. The only parts that were put together were the parts that were welded. It comes in 4 boxes now so prepare yourself if you get one, it will take some time to get it together. Granted I spent $800 back in `97 for the base model power pro without the lat pulldown and leg extension add-ons. The sport comes with the lat tower and leg attachment for the same $800 today, so it's a much better deal now. So putting it together is worth it. It says "Manufactured in China" on the box, but it should read "Manufactured in your house."

If you want one and have the means and space, get it; I can't imagine anyone being disappointed.